Refrigerator with increased stability

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator includes a main body including a storage compartment; a drawer-type door movable in a forward/backward direction of the main body; a storage box connected to the drawer-type door and moving in the forward/backward direction of the main body; and a supporting unit provided below the drawer-type door. The supporting unit includes a detecting member provided at the main body and/or the drawer-type door and configured to detect whether or not the drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body, one or more wheel members connected to a lower part of the drawer-type body and configured to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door, and an elevation unit connected to the wheel members and configured to selectively raise and lower the wheel members depending on pulled out or insertion state of the drawer-type door which state is detected by the detection unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0082948, filed on Jul. 17, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator design with increased stability.

BACKGROUND

In general, a refrigerator is an electrical/mechanical appliance that maintains storage spaces at low temperatures for storing food or other objects in a fresh or frozen state.

The internal storage compartments of the refrigerator can be cooled to a preset low temperature through the circulation of cold air that is continuously generated through refrigeration cycles using a refrigerant, and a refrigeration cycle including compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation phases.

Recently, a bottom freezer type refrigerator in which a refrigeration compartment for storing food items that are frequently accessed and expected to be consumed within a short period of storage time, e.g., drinks, etc., are located at the top and a freezer for storing food items that can be stored for longer periods of time, e.g., frozen food, are located at the lower side is widely used to improve the standard of living and provide various conveniences to consumers.

The freezer compartment of the refrigerator has a storage box for storing frozen foods. The storage box is fixed to a rear surface of a freezer door. The freezer door is configured as a drawer-type door that is opened and closed while moving in a forward/backward direction of a main body of the unit.

However, when a user's weight is put on the drawer-type door pulled out from the main body, the drawer-type door pulled out from the main body cannot be stably supported and may be bent or separated from the main body due to the user's weight and downward force applied thereto. In addition, due to the user's weight, the center of gravity of the refrigerator is moved forward and the refrigerator may disadvantageously tilt or tumble forward.

What is needed are mechanisms and designs for increasing the physical stability of such a refrigerator unit.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a refrigerator in which a drawer-type pull-out door that is operable to be pulled out from a main body can be advantageously stably supported.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body including a storage compartment; a drawer-type door movable in a forward/backward direction of the main body; a storage box connected to the drawer-type door and operable to be moved in a forward/backward direction of the main body; and a supporting unit provided below the drawer-type door, wherein the supporting unit includes: a detecting member provided at either the main body or the drawer-type door and configured to detect whether or not the drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body; one or more wheel members connected to a lower part of the drawer-type body and configured to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door; and an elevation unit connected to the wheel members and configured to selectively raise and lower the wheel members depending on pulling out or insertion of the drawer-type door which is detected by the detection unit.

The supporting unit may further include: a restraint member provided at the drawer-type door and configured to selectively restrict rotation of the wheel members depending on the pulling out or the insertion of the drawer-type door which is detected by the detection member.

The elevation unit may include: a driving motor provided at the drawer-type door; a first gear portion connected to the driving motor and configured to rotate during the rotation of the driving motor; a second gear portion spaced apart from the first gear portion and configured to rotate by the rotation of the first gear portion; a chain configured to interlock the first gear portion and the second gear portion; and a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear portion to rotate together with the second gear portion during the rotation of the second gear portion and having the other end connected to the wheel members to raise and lower the wheel members.

The refrigerator may further comprise a control unit configured to control at least one of the elevation unit and the restraint member.

The control unit may be configured to control the elevation unit to raise and lower the wheel members when the detection unit detects the insertion of the drawer-type door into the main body.

The control unit may be configured to control the restraint member to restrict the rotation of the wheel members when the detection unit detects the drawer-type door being pulled out from the main body.

An accommodating part configured to selectively accommodate the supporting unit may be formed in the drawer-type door.

A cover part that is partially inclined and extended to cover the supporting unit may be formed at the lower part of the drawer-type door, and at least a part of the restraint member may be buried in the cover part and the rest of the restraint member may be exposed through a communicating part and selectively brought into contact with the wheel members.

In the refrigerator outfitted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the drawer-type door being pulled out from the main body can be advantageously stably supported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which a wheel member is raised by an elevation unit of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the wheel member is lowered by the elevation unit of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a restraint member of the elevation unit of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, configurations and operations of embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is one of various patentable aspects of the disclosure and may form a part of the detailed description of the disclosure.

However, in describing the disclosure, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions that may obscure aspects of the disclosure may be omitted.

The disclosure may be variously modified and may include various embodiments. Specific embodiments will be exemplarily illustrated in the drawings and described in the detailed description of the embodiments. However, it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the disclosure to specific embodiments but rather to cover all modifications, similarities, and alternatives which are included in the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The terms used herein, including ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe, and not to limit, various components. The terms simply distinguish the components from one another.

When it is said that a component is “connected” or “linked” to another component, it should be understood that the former component may be directly connected or linked to the latter component or a third component may be interposed between the two components.

Specific terms used in the present application are used simply to describe specific embodiments without limiting the disclosure. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a main body 10, a drawer-type door 20, a storage box 30, a supporting unit 40, and a control unit 50.

The main body 10 generally forming an external appearance of the refrigerator 1 includes storage compartments 11 and 12, each having an open front surface. The storage compartments 11 and 12 can be partitioned into an upper storage compartment and a lower storage compartment by a partition wall. The upper storage compartment can be used as a refrigeration compartment 11. The lower storage compartment can be used as a freezer 12.

Doors 11 a and 20 are rotatably installed on the front surfaces of the refrigeration compartment 11 and the freezer 12 to open and close the refrigeration compartment 11 and the freezer 12, respectively. In this embodiment, side-by-side type doors 11 a are installed on right and left sides of the front surface of the refrigeration compartment 11 and can be rotatably opened and closed, and a drawer-type door 20 that is opened by pulling out is installed on the front surface of the freezer compartment 12.

The drawer-type door 20 is movable in the forward/backward direction of the main body 10, which makes it possible to open and close the storage compartment, e.g., the freezer compartment 12.

An accommodating part 21 where the supporting unit 40 is selectively accommodated may be formed in the drawer-type door 20. A cover part 22 may be formed below the drawer-type door. At least a part of the cover part 22 is inclined downward and extends to cover the supporting unit 40 when viewing the refrigerator 1 from the front side. A communicating part 22 a communicating with the accommodating part 21 may be formed at the cover part 22.

The moveable storage box 30 for storing food that needs to be frozen is connected to the drawer-type door 20. Therefore, the storage box 30 can be moved in the forward/backward direction by opening/closing the drawer-type door 20.

The storage box 30 may have an open top. Guide projections 31 may extend on both side surfaces of the storage box 30 in the forward/backward direction of the storage body 30. As shown, the guide projections 31 can guide the forward/backward movement of the storage box 30 with respect to the main body 10 while being engaged with guide rails (not shown) coupled to the inner portion of the main body 10.

The supporting unit 40 is provided at the lower part of the drawer-type door 20 to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door 20 and support the drawer-type door 20.

The supporting unit 40 may include: a detecting member 41 provided with respect to at least one of the main body 10 and the drawer-type door 20 and is configured to detect whether or not the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10; one or more wheel members 42 connected to the lower part of the drawer-type door 20 to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door 20 and support the drawer-type door 20; an elevation unit 43 connected to the wheel members 42 to selectively raise or lower the wheel members 42 depending on pulling out or insertion of the drawer-type door 20 which is detected by the detection member 41; and a restraint member 44 provided at the drawer-type door 20 and configured to selectively restrain the rotation of the wheel members 42 depending on pulling out or insertion of the drawer-type door 20 which is detected by the detection member 41.

The detection member 41 may include, e.g., a distance sensor provided at one of the main body 10 and/or the drawer-type door 20. A state value indicating whether the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out or inserted, which is detected by the detection member 41, can be transmitted to the control unit 50 and used for controlling the elevation unit 43 and the restraint member 44.

One or more wheel members 42 can be rotatably supported by a supporting shaft 42 a. The supporting shaft 42 a can penetrate through and be coupled to a frame 42 b that is provided outside the wheel members 42 to surround the wheel members 42. The wheel members 42 rotatably coupled to the supporting shaft 42 a may have spoke portions 42 c arranged in a radial direction.

When the drawer-type door 20 is pushed toward the main body 10, the elevation unit 43 can raise the wheel members 42. When the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10, the elevation unit 43 can lower the wheel members 42.

The elevation unit 43 may include: a driving motor 43 a provided at the drawer-type door 20; a first gear portion 43 b connected to the driving motor 43 a and rotated by the rotation of the driving motor 43 a; a second gear portion 43 c spaced apart from the first gear portion 43 b and rotated by the rotation of the first gear portion 43 b; a chain 43 d for interlocking the first gear portion 43 b and the second gear portion 43 c; and a driving link part 43 e having one end connected to the second gear portion 43 c to rotate together with the second gear portion 43 c during the rotation of the second gear portion 43 c and having the other end connected to the wheel members 42 to raise and lower the wheel members 42.

Hereinafter, the driving of the elevation unit 43 will be described briefly. When a first signal is inputted and the driving motor 43 a is driven by the control unit 50, the driving motor 43 a rotates in one direction and the first gear portion 43 b rotates in one direction by the rotation of the driving motor 43 a. The rotational force of the first gear portion 43 b is transmitted to the second gear portion 43 c by the chain 43 d and, thus, the second gear portion 43 c rotates in one direction. When the second gear portion 43 c rotates, the driving link part 43 e connected to the shaft end of the second gear portion 43 c rotates to raise the wheel members 42. The raised wheel members 42 can be accommodated in the accommodating part 21.

Conversely, when a second signal is inputted and the driving motor 43 a is driven by the control unit 50, the driving motor 43 a rotates in the opposite direction, and the first gear portion 43 b rotates in the opposite direction by the rotation of the driving motor 43 a. The rotational force of the first gear portion 43 b is transmitted to the second gear portion 43 c by the chain 43 d and, thus, the second gear portion 43 c rotates in the opposite direction. When the second gear portion 43 c rotates, the driving link part 43 e connected to the shaft end of the second gear portion 43 c rotates to lower the wheel members 42. The lowered wheel members 42 can roll in contact with the ground.

The restraint member 44 can restrain the rotation of the wheel members 42 when the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10.

At this time, at least a part of the restraint member 44 may be buried in the cover part 22, and the rest of the restraint member 44 may be selectively exposed through the communicating part 22 a. In other words, when the restraint member 44 is extended, the restraint member 44 may be exposed through the communicating part 22 a. When the restraint member 44 is exposed through the communicating part 22 a, the restraint member 44 can penetrate through a hole H formed in the frame 42 b of the wheel members 42 and can be brought into contact with the spoke portions 42 c.

The restraint member 44 may be, for instance, a hydraulic cylinder in one embodiment.

The following is a brief description of the driving of the restraint member 44. When the drawer-type door 20 is detected as being pulled out by the detecting member 41, the restraint member 44 is extended and exposed through the communicating portion 22 a. Then, the restraint member 44 penetrates through the hole H and may be brought into contact with the spoke portions 42 c of the wheel members 42. In this manner, the rotation of the wheel members 42 can be restricted by the restraint member 44.

Conversely, when the drawer-type door 20 is pushed toward the main body 10, e.g., pushed in, the restraint member 44 is contracted and a non-contact state between the restraint member 44 and the spoke portions 42 c of the wheel members 42 is maintained. Therefore, the wheel members 42 roll contacting the ground.

Although it is not illustrated, an elastic member may be provided between the drawer-type door 20 and the wheel members 42. The elastic member can control vertical clearance that may occur between the ground and the bottom of the drawer-type door 20.

The control unit 50 can control the supporting unit 40. For example, when the detection unit 41 detects the insertion of the drawer-type body 20 into the main body 10, the control unit 50 can control the elevation unit 43 to raise the wheel members 42. When the detection unit 41 detects that the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10, the control unit 50 can control the restraint member 44 to restrict the rotation of the wheel members 42.

The refrigerator 1 configured as described above is advantageous in that the drawer-type door 20 pulled out from the main body 10 can nevertheless be stably supported by the supporting unit 40.

Further, since the rotation of the wheel members 42 is restricted in a state where the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10, the stable open state can be advantageously maintained.

Moreover, since the wheel members 42 are raised by the elevation unit 43 during the insertion of the drawer-type door 20 into the main body 10, the conventional problem in which the drawer-type door 20 is not in firm contact with the main body can be solved.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present disclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will be construed that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belong to the scope of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body comprising a storage compartment; a drawer-type door movable in a forward/backward direction of the main body; a storage box connected to the drawer-type door and moveable in the forward/backward direction of the main body; and a supporting unit disposed below the drawer-type door, wherein the supporting unit comprises: a detecting member disposed at least one of the main body and the drawer-type door and configured to detect if drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body; one or more wheel members connected to a lower part of the drawer-type door and configured to facilitate the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door; and an elevation unit connected to the one or more wheel members and configured to selectively raise and lower the one or more wheel members depending a pulled out or inserted state of the drawer-type door wherein the state is detected by the detecting member.
 2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the supporting unit further comprises: a restraint member disposed at the drawer-type door and configured to selectively restrict rotation of the one or more wheel members depending on the pulled out or insertion state of the drawer-type door.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the elevation unit comprises: a driving motor provided at the drawer-type door; a first gear portion connected to the driving motor and configured to rotate during the rotation of the driving motor; a second gear portion spaced apart from the first gear portion and configured to rotate by the rotation of the first gear portion; a chain configured to interlock the first gear portion and the second gear portion; and a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear portion to rotate together with the second gear portion during the rotation of the second gear portion and having the other end connected to the wheel members to raise and lower the one or more wheel members.
 4. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a control unit configured to control at least one of the elevation unit and the restraint member.
 5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to control the elevation unit to raise and lower the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects the insertion state of the drawer-type door into the main body.
 6. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to control the restraint member to restrict the rotation of the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects the pulled out state of the drawer-type door from the main body.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an accommodating part configured to selectively accommodate the supporting unit and formed in the drawer-type door.
 8. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a cover part being partially inclined and extended to cover the supporting unit and formed at the lower part of the drawer-type door, and wherein at least a part of the restraint member is disposed in the cover part and the rest of the restraint member is exposed through a communicating part and selectively brought into contact with the one or more wheel members.
 9. A refrigerator with enhanced drawer stability, the refrigerator, comprising: a main body comprising a storage compartment; a pull-out door operable to be moved in a forward/backward direction from the main body and comprising a storage box; and a supporting unit disposed below the pull-out door, wherein the supporting unit comprises: a detecting member disposed at least one of the main body and the pull-out door and configured to detect if pull-out door is pulled out from the main body; a plurality of wheel members coupled to a lower part of the pull-out door and configured to facilitate the forward/backward movement thereof and support the pull-out door; and an elevation unit coupled to the plurality of wheel members and configured to selectively raise and lower the plurality of wheel members depending a pulled out or inserted state of the pull-out door wherein the state is detected by the detecting member.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the supporting unit further comprises: a restraint member disposed at the pull-out door and configured to selectively restrict rotation of the plurality of wheel members depending on the pulled out or insertion state of the pull-out door.
 11. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the elevation unit comprises: a driving motor provided at the pull-out door; a first gear portion connected to the driving motor and configured to rotate during the rotation of the driving motor; a second gear portion spaced apart from the first gear portion and configured to rotate by the rotation of the first gear portion; a chain configured to interlock the first gear portion and the second gear portion; and a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear portion to rotate together with the second gear portion during the rotation of the second gear portion and having the other end connected to the wheel members to raise and lower the plurality of wheel members.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising a control unit configured to control at least one of the elevation unit and the restraint member.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control the elevation unit to raise and lower the plurality of wheel members when the detecting member detects the insertion state of the pull-out door into the main body.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control the restraint member to restrict the rotation of the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects the pulled out state of the pull-out door from the main body.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 9, further comprising an accommodating part configured to selectively accommodate the supporting unit is formed in the pull-out door.
 16. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising a cover part that is partially inclined and extended to cover the supporting unit formed at the lower part of the pull-out door, and wherein at least a part of the restraint member is disposed in the cover part and the rest of the restraint member is exposed through a communicating part and selectively brought into contact with the plurality of wheel members. 